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Stanley Pranin’s “Zone Theory of Aikido”

25 Online lessons to challenge your thinking on the fundamentals of aikido!

Hi, I’m Stanley Pranin here to tell you about my new online video course, the “Zone Theory of Aikido”. You know I’ve been involved in Aikido for more than 50 years. To tell the truth, Aikido has been my life. I can’t think of a better discipline to train well-rounded, fit people with excellent self-defense skills.

That being said, I believe we still have a long way to go to develop more refined teaching methodologies to accelerate students’ advancement in the art. What do I mean? Well, I travel frequently in Aikido circles and train with practitioners of many different styles. I’ve found similar training patterns regardless of the approach to Aikido. I consider one of the biggest hurdles to improving one’s skills is the almost universal tendency to resort to physical strength in attempting to make techniques work.

When aikido practitioners get stuck, they tense up and try to force their way through the technique. I see this everywhere I go. For many years, I experienced the same thing in my own training. Only recently, have I been able to discover ways of using the body as a unified structure when applying techniques. What a difference this has made!

This has been a liberating discovery that has allowed me to totally rethink my way of approaching the execution of techniques. My techniques work now, consistently, even against training partners of superior strength. This has never happened before!

In the “Zone Theory of Aikido” video course consisting of 25 lessons, I’m going to walk you through this innovative approach to doing aikido. I will show you ways of using your body more efficiently. I will explain the importance of positioning, balance-breaking… how to use atemi, kiai, and O-Sensei’s hitoemi stance to give you a tremendous advantage in practice. I look forward to sharing this whole new world of training principles and strategies with you.

Readers will be able to access the 25 lessons of the “Zone Theory of Aikido” online and also download their computing device. This offer is available for the special price of $47.

Morihiro Saito: Aiki Jo — Part 1, hi-res video

This is the first of two videos by Morihiro Saito covering all of the basics of the Jo curriculum as practiced in Iwama, Japan. These jo forms were compiled and refined by Saito Sensei based on his weapons training directly under Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba. These videos were shot specifically for the serious practitioner interested in learning the Aiki Ken and Jo and include detailed explanations and different angle shots to facilitate understanding of important details. Part 1 includes: 20 jo suburi, 31 jo kata, 13 jo kata, and 13 jo awase

This is the first of two videos by Morihiro Saito covering all of the basics of the Jo curriculum as practiced in Iwama, Japan. These jo forms were compiled and refined by Saito Sensei based on his weapons training directly under Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba. These videos were shot specifically for the serious practitioner interested in learning the Aiki Ken and Jo and include detailed explanations and different angle shots to facilitate understanding of important details.

Is the study of the Aiki Ken and Jo important to your progress?

There are a variety of schools of thought as to whether study of the Aiki Ken and Jo is essential to developing the well-rounded aikidoka. When making your personal decision, consider the following. Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba was very serious about his study of the ken and jo from his middle years onward. He considered knowledge of these weapons as a key component of “Takemusu Aiki,” the highest level of attainment in the art where one is capable of spontaneously executing techniques perfectly suited to the circumstances. Moreover, weapons practice strengthens the entire body, enhances hip stability, and an understanding of maai (combative distance). Many who have not had access to aikido weapons training have sought to fill this gap by studying various outside systems such as iaido and classical Japanese weapons schools. Fortunately, aikido does include an elaborate weapons curriculum and these DVDs will open up a new dimension in your training. Highly recommended for every serious aikidoka!